Baseball Season is Over!

Congratulations to the Giants

MLB Takes Control of The Dodgers

Major League Baseball seized control of the day-to-day operations of the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, an extreme measure resulting from the tumultuous ownership of Frank McCourt and the reported $433 million he has in debt.

Commissioner Bud Selig released a statement announcing the move by MLB, making this a dark day in the club's history.

Frank and ex-wife Jamie bought the team in a heavily leveraged deal in 2004 and moved from Boston. There were debacles from the start, so many the owners had to hire a crisis management firm to address the issues. The divorce and ensuing financial woes have been the most dramatic, with the public learning of their alleged misuse of Dodgers money and the extravagant lifestyle of the owners, whose divorce settlement includes nine properties.

Earlier this week, the Los Angeles Times reported Frank McCourt took out a $30million loan from Fox, the team's television partner, to meet payroll through the end of April.

On Wednesday, Selig issued this statement: "I have taken this action because of my deep concerns regarding the finances and operations of the Dodgers and to protect the best interests of the club, its great fans and all of Major League Baseball."

Seven hours after Selig made his announcement, Frank McCourt issued a statement expressing puzzlement.

"Major League Baseball sets strict financial guidelines, which all 30 teams must follow," McCourt said. "The Dodgers are in

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compliance with these guidelines. On this basis, it is hard to understand the commissioner's action today."

Read more: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_17896862#ixzz1K8KYZgSa

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Jonathan is the baseball fan though as a Padres fan I am sure it breaks his heart to see LA in disarray. I do know this. There are probably 2 franchises maybe 3 counting the Cubs that MLB could not lose and The Dodgers are one of them. If they are in any kind of trouble MLB is bound to step in. The Montreal Expos are one thing the LA Dodgers are another.

Omaha Storm Chasers?

So when the Omaha Royals move to their new smaller digs out in the boonies they will be leaving behind the name Royals and are now the Omaha Storm Chasers. Most of Omaha seems to be groaning about the name change at least those few who care.

Honestly I am not one that does care. I have never been to an Omaha Royals game as Baseball is not my sport. In fact most of Omaha goes to one royals game a year if they can get the tickets and that is the 4th of July for the fireworks. Even then they show up in the 8th or 9th inning and groan at extra inning games.

What makes me scratch my head is the new mascot. Um what in the blue...err green hell is it?

RIP George Steinbrenner

Allow me to re-do my Editorial on Jim Joyce

No doubt that first base umpire Jim Joyce made one of the worst calls in major league histroy and robbed Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga of a perfect game. The Count mentioned that Joyce admitted his terrible mistake, and for that, I will correct my F-You comment towards the umpire. At least he admits his lapse of judgment, unlike some umps who make bad calls, know they make bad calls when all the evidence suggests he did, and still defends said mistake.

Fuck you, Bud Selig!

Bug Selig gets my F-You in Joyce's stead because that call would have been overturned if the game had instant replay. Baseball critics will say, "baseball will be longer if we allow instant replay," or that "we'd be tampering with the human element of the game." What we just saw last night, that was "the human element of the game" in which a perfect game is unjustly ruined becasue the ump made a horrible call. Calls that should have favored the opposing and home teams have been part of the game for decades, but now in the 21st century, that shouldn't have to be a problem. Jim Joyce made a bad call, no questions asked. It will go down as one of the worst calls in the history of the game, and he will bear most of, if not all of, the blame. But Bud Selig, who should have installed instant replay years ago, shares just as much blame as the umpire for that godawful call.

An Editorial by Jonathan

Fuck 1B umpire Jim Joyce!

Opening Day in Baseball Open Thread

Today is Opening Day in the 2010 MLB season, so i'm dedicating the Thread to baseball Here's what i've seen thus far:

* Opening night between Beantown and the Brox Bombers is what I've come to expect from the rivalry: sheer excitement. It also helps that I hate the Yankess with a burning passion and was happy to see them fall on their asses. Kevin Youkliss and Derek Jeter were great last night, as was C.C. Sabbathia through 5 1/3 innings, while Josh Beckett struggled last night through 4 1/3. Overall, a great way to open up the new season.

* What more can be said about Albert Pujols that hasn't already been said? 4-5 opening the season against Cincinnati, two HR's and two singles, for a combined 3 RBI, as the Redbirds beat the Reds, 11-6.

* Mark Buehrle's out in the top of the 5th just might be the best play we see all year, as the White Sox blank Cleveland, 6-0.

* Carlos Zambrano and the Cubs had a 3-0 lead in the first inning against the Altlanta Braves. Then he coughs up six at the bottom half of the same inning. Was this the calmer, better Zambrano Cubs Fans were promised?

* Veteran sports announcer Dick Ensburg makes his debut, calling Channel 4, the station that carries San Diego Padres Baseball. The fix is that Pads are bound to dwell in the N.L. West basement, while the Dodgers (another team I loathe) win their third consecutive title. God, I hope neither happen.

Mark McGwire admits to using steroids

Shocked, I tell 'ya, shocked! Is this really a huge revelation that the home run king of 1998 was a juicer? This is how cynical we have become about our national pastime: You tell me tomorrow that there is significant evidence that Albert Pujlos, Ryan Howard, and Derek Jeter were all, at one point in time, using anabolic steroids and/or HGH, the collective mindset would be, "well, who else isn't on the 'roids?" Baseball needs to drop it's collective charade on how shocked and surprised that top-name athletes were cheating their way to Cooperstown, because the sport knew these guys were taking steroids, and didn't stop em because baseball became relevant and popular like they haven't seen in years.

MLB Playoffs

They Officially Start Tomorrow If you care about that sort of thing. I will let Jonathan handle the baseball threads if he so chooses. Anyway hope your team wins. Go Royals.

Edit From The Count
On second thought fuck the Royals and everything "Missouri"

A City So Cursed It Makes Buffalo Feel Better About Itself

The Count is NOT a baseball fan but he peaked in on the 19 inning 7 and half hour one game play off between the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers off and on all night and the last time he saw the MInnesota Twins celebrating the fact they get to go get swept by the Yankees and was not surprised at all. The Detroit Tigers lead their division the entire year and because they are Detroit they folded down the stretch so now they had a one game playoff to have one brief moment of glory for a city that has had none to speak of since 2005. Surely Detroit could give their people one night to cheer their city one night to be proud...Of course not.

I actually feel sorry for Detroit. Oh by the way...Baseball sucks.

Barack Obama is a lucky bastard today

His team, the White Sox, have acquired one of the best pitchers in the National League.

Jake Peavy(notes), disabled since mid-June and already once having rejected a trade to the Chicago White Sox, was traded in the moments before the trading deadline to the White Sox for four players.

In return for the 2007 Cy Young Award winner the Padres received four pitchers – lefties Clayton Richard and Aaron Poreda and righties Dexter Carter and Adam Russell.

The Sox are just 2 1/2 our of the AL Central Race. With Peavy, They've got more than a damn good shot of taking out Detroit for the top spot.

A big old fuck you to VP Sandy Alderson and Owner John Moores. These two assholes let this team burn when they kicked Bruce Bochy to the curb in 2006....after they won the NL West for a second straight year.

I hope you're happy, fuckers.....cause you two (if there's any justice left in this world) pricks should be run outta SD on a fucking rail.

Jesus.

I've seen some beatdowns in my time, but this.....My God.....
Fourteen runs given up in the 2nd inning???
And the final tally adds up to the Indians embarrassing the Bronx Bombers 22-4??

Wang (0-3) was charged with eight runs and eight hits in 1 1-3 innings, giving him a 34.50 ERA in three starts this year. He went 5-0 with a 3.23 ERA in six April starts last season.

“Actually, I thought he threw more good sinkerballs today but that inning got out of hand and we need to fix that,” Girardi said. “We have some time. We have a day off I think Thursday and we’re going to have to decide what’s best for Chien-Ming Wang and the team.”

The Yankees could skip Wang’s next turn in the rotation but Girardi said the team hasn’t made a decision yet.

Peralta doubled in two more runs after Wang left and Asdrubal Cabrera hit a drive to right on a 3-1 pitch for his first homer of the year. Sizemore followed Cabrera’s shot with his fourth homer to make it 14-2 as the crowd booed loudly.

And yet, that's not the half of it.......

By then, the party was on in the Indians’ dugout.

“There’s some funny stuff that’s said,” DeRosa said. “Obviously Garko made the first out and didn’t want to make another out in the same inning.”

They're the best team money can buy.
They've got a new, 1.5 billion dollar ballpark.
And the Tribe smacked them around worse than when Ike smacked around Tina.
The Yanks really do suck this year, don't they?

RIP Harry Kalas 1936-2009.

Harry Kalas Passes away at age 73.

WASHINGTON (AP)—Longtime Philadelphia Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas, who punctuated innumerable home runs with his “Outta here!” call, died Monday after being found passed out in the broadcast booth before a game against the Washington Nationals. He was 73.

We lost our voice today,” team president David Montgomery said, his voice cracking. “He has loved our game and made just a tremendous contribution to our sport and certainly to our organization.”

Kalas was discovered by the Phillies director of broadcasting about 12:30 p.m. and taken to a local hospital, Montgomery said.

Kalas had surgery earlier this year for an undisclosed ailment that the team characterized as minor. He looked somewhat drawn last week as the Phillies opened the season at home.

Kalas joined the Phillies in 1971. Before that, he was a member of the Houston Astros’ broadcast team from 1965-70. In 2002, he received the Baseball Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award for his contributions to the game.

“Players come and go, but ‘Outta here!’—that’s forever,” said Scott Franzke, a Phillies radio broadcaster.

Kalas lent his sonorous voice to everything from puppies to soup. He did work for NFL Films, was the voice for Chunky Soup commercials and Animal Planet’s annual tongue-in-cheek Super Bowl competitor, the Puppy Bowl.

Kalas will be missed. In addition to Philies baseball he also called football on the radio for westwood one. Admittedly I am not a baseball guy so I do not know how good of a baseball announcer he was but I do know the folks in Philadelphia loved him. His voice and delivery didn't not work as well for calling football live but as a narrator for NFL films he was outstanding. He also was the narrator for Prime Sports' (Now Fox sports network) weekly Big 8 football highlight show and narrated the the 1993 Nebraska football highlight film. RIP. Mr. Kalas.

Watching The ACLS I Am Reminded Of Just Why Baseball Really Sucks

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are putting in a different pitcher for every batter. This is the first baseball I have watched this year and it reminds me just why this sport blows. 19 pitchers for one game is a joke.

World Series

Tampa Bay Devil Rays

Vs

Philadelphia Phillies

Whoever wins I hope they win in 4 straight

Aww, shit! My eyes!

Warning: unless you want to gauge your eyes out at the inhumane sight of my Padres breaking in some fresh meat to the clubhouse, DO NOT look at the following picture or click on the following link! You have been warned.



Fastest way to kill a boner.

The Brooklyn...Err Los Angeles Dodgers Get Manny

Link

Slugger Manny Ramirez's stormy relationship with the Boston Red Sox is over.

Ramirez has been traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Red Sox will pay the remaining $7 million of Ramirez's contract, ESPN.com's Peter Gammons reported.

"I inform you today that we have acquired one of the best hitters of all time, Manny Ramirez," said Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, announcing the trade at a World Baseball Conference news conference.

Jason Bay is going to Boston and the Pittsburgh Pirates get four minor leaguers as part of the three-way deal.

Third baseman Andy LaRoche and right-handed pitcher Bryan Morris will go to the Pirates from the Dodgers. Outfielder Brandon Moss and right-handed pitcher Craig Hansen will leave the Red Sox organization for Pittsburgh.

Remarks by Ramirez, who has been involved in trade rumors the last few years, might have been the final straw for the Red Sox.

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ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ...

Manny Ramirez - Beantown's Brett Favre

Manny needs to bury his prima donna attitude, or else Beantown won't be sad to see him leave.

"The Red Sox don't deserve a player like me," Ramirez said. "During my years here, I've seen how they [the Red Sox] have mistreated other great players when they didn't want them to try to turn the fans against them.

"The Red Sox did the same with guys like Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez, and now they do the same with me. Their goal is to paint me as the bad guy," Ramirez added. "I love Boston fans, but the Red Sox don't deserve me. I'm not talking about money. Mental peace has no price, and I don't have peace here."

Go Padres!

Opening game: San Diego vs. Houston
Jake Peavy (0-0) vs. Roy Oswald (0-0)
7:05 first pitch

Go Padres! Experience it!

Shrub got booed on opening day

Nice.